masilla
/maˈsiʝa/
The English word 'putty' is translated into Spanish as masilla.
masilla is used to refer to various types of fillers, such as wood putty, wall filler or caulking material.
Meaning: a form of cement (noun)
Which one should you use?
If you are referring specifically to lime putty, which is a substance made with slaked lime, use the term pasta de cal.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The related verb form for 'to putty' or 'to fill with putty' is enmasillar.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈsiʝa/
Did you know?
- The root of masilla connects it to the Ancient Greek word mássō, which means 'to knead'. This reinforces why the substance is described as a 'little dough'.
- The verb enmasillar is used not just for construction, but also in the context of restoring old stained-glass windows by applying putty to the lead cames.
- In Spanish, the word for 'mass' in physics and the word for 'dough' in baking are both masa. Consequently, masilla can be interpreted as both 'little dough' and 'little mass'.
Examples in context
- Él tapó la grieta con masilla.He filled the crack with putty.This sentence shows how to use masilla to describe filling a crack.Tatoeba #2869019 by marcelostockle, translation #11275650 by Luornu
- Por favor, cómpreme una masilla nueva para arreglar las grietas en la paredPlease buy me a new putty to fix the cracks in the wall
- La pasta de cal es ideal para reparaciones en estructuras históricasLime putty is ideal for repairs on historical structures
- Necesito comprar más masilla para la pared.I need to buy more putty for the wall.
- La masilla aún no se ha secado.The putty hasn't dried yet.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are fixing a window frame in their house.
- Lucía¿Tienes la masilla para el marco de la ventana?Do you have the putty for the window frame?
- JavierSí, la tengo aquí en la caja.Yes, I have it here in the box.
- LucíaPerfecto, Javier, empecemos a trabajar.Perfect, Javier, let's start working.
- JavierEstá bien, voy a buscar la espátula.Alright, I'm going to get the spatula.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “putty” translations and entries masilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries masilla, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
